Dive Brief:

• Subscription box brand FabFitFun launched live video programming on the brand’s Facebook page. "FFF Live" will run 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, according to a press release.
• The launch coincides with FabFitFun’s new fall box, and future content will be pegged to seasonal sales. The programming includes product showcases, beauty demonstrations, DIY projects and a game show. FabFitFun will invite the audience to ask questions, make comments and win prizes.
• "FFF Live" builds on content the brand has been presenting on its Facebook page, including live sale previews, product showcases, and chats with co-founder and editor in chief Katie Rosen Kitchens. The company has offered its FabFitFunTV streaming video service since the spring of 2017. 

Dive Insight:

Retail subscription services are becoming increasingly prevalent while the competitive forces arrayed against them have also become more challenging. New subscription offers are now available from Amazon, Target, Boxed, Gap and Stitch Fix, which is expanding its variety. 

The average American household has almost four subscriptions, a quarter of households have more subscriptions than six months ago and renewal rates are 85%, according to a report from researcher Magid. There’s a significant downside, though, as almost 40% of subscribers to any type of service eventually cancel, according to a study by McKinsey and Co.

FabFitFun has embraced different forms of free online content to keep its brand in front of its target market of women ages 18 to 34. Beyond Facebook, the company has an online magazine and streams videos. Other promotional strategies have included a special edition box developed with Pinterest based on the social platform’s forecast of this year’s top 100 trends. In March, FabFitFun installed a two-day pop-up at the Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles to promote its spring box. And last year, the company launched a video app for Apple TV and Amazon Fire. 

The FabFitFun subscription box has been growing 300% year-over-year because of its influencer marketing, according to SingleGrain. FabFitFun’s box is based on a discovery model, sending customers a box full of different products four times a year.